Yes, that’s what I did because in the end I could not afford to wait and did not want to delegate
my authority as commander-in-chief. I called an emergency session of Congress for July 4, but for
two crucial months until Congress met I used my best judgment to meet the crisis. I called up the
militia. I declared a blockade of Confederate ports. I expanded the size of the army and navy and
authorized the Treasury to expend $2 million to equip the troops. I even suspended the writ of habeas
corpus to protect the transportation of Union troops. I believed that when Congress reconvened it
would approve all of my actions, which it did.